Brown defends strategy after death of UK troops

UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown has defended his country's strategy in Afghanistan, after eight British soldiers, including a senior officer (pictured), died there on Friday, in the UK's worst loss of life for a 24-hour period.

AFP - Prime Minister Gordon Brown insisted Saturday that Britain had the right strategy in Afghanistan after British military deaths surpassed the number of dead in the Iraq campaign.

Brown said the last few days had been "extraordinarily difficult" as British fatalities rose to 184 with the announcement Friday that eight men had been killed in a 24-hour period.

But he said British troops were winning the battle against Taliban insurgents in their heartlands of Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan.

Meanwhile US President Barack Obama said Britain's role in Afghanistan was "critical" and his "heart goes out" to those soldiers killed.

Brown wrote in a letter to lawmakers: "While I know there are some who have questioned our strategy, I continue to believe our strategy is the right one.

"I can report the assessment of commanders on the ground: that the current operations are succeeding in their objectives.

"They are having a marked impact on the Taliban in central Helmand, will improve security for the population in the run-up to the elections, and will allow longer-term work on governance and development to begin."

"My heart goes out to those British soldiers," he told Sky News television.

"We knew that this summer was going to be tough fighting, that there was an interest in the Taliban exerting control. They have, I think, been pushed back but we still have a long way to go."

He added: "Great Britain has played an extraordinary role in this coalition, understanding that we can not allow either Afghanistan or Pakistan to be a safe haven for Al-Qaeda, those who with impunity blow up train stations in London or buildings in New York.

"The likelihood of a terrorist attack in London is at least as high if not higher than it is in the United States," he said.

Obama said "we've got a serious fight on our hands and we've got to deal with it smartly but we've got to deal with it effectively."

A total of 15 British soldiers have died in 10 days in southern Afghanistan as troops carry out Operation Panther's Claw in Helmand.

The aim of the operation is to improve security ahead of next month's Afghan elections. Britain has raised its troop numbers to 9,000 ahead of the vote.

The head of the military, Air Chief Marshal Jock Stirrup, insisted the Taliban were losing the fight.

"It's tough going because the Taliban have rightly identified Helmand as their vital ground," Stirrup said on Friday.

"If they lose there then they lose everywhere and they are throwing everything they have into it. But they are losing and our commanders on the ground are very clear of that," he said.

The majority of British deaths in recent months were caused by powerful roadside bombs laid by insurgents, raising concerns that troops are forced to use lightly armoured vehicles which fail to resist the blasts.

Brown said he was aware of "particular concerns over vehicles" but argued that Britain had spent one billion pounds (1.2 billion euros, 1.6 billion dollars) in the past three years on heavily armoured Mastiff vehicles "which offer world-leading protection against mines and roadside bombs".

The Stop the War Coalition has announced an emergency protest in London on Monday, calling for British troops to be withdrawn from Afghanistan after the recent heavy losses.